barley & birch :: organic, planet-saving blog

We've moved!

2010-05-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! We just realized that we left all of our blog followers hanging!

We have moved our blog over to our exciting, shiny new website!

Will you mosey on over and subscribe? We love this blog but will keep up our blogging over on the website, where all of our customers can see all the cool new things going on with b&b! (:

Love,
Kyle

Finals

2010-05-07T08:10:00.001-07:00

I'm heading into finals now. Where has the semester even gone?

Should you feel compelled to cross your fingers, pray, send me vibes, ANYTHING, please feel free. I will be needing all of the above starting now through Wednesday, as I tackle law school finals.

Life is so funny, isn't it? I have quickly trained my brain to switch immediately from discussing which of our adorable prints should line our organic hand-loomed denim blazer for fall to thinking about whether an admission made during negotiations to pay medical bills is admissible as evidence in a trial (it is.)

I think I prefer the land of creativity and planet-saving, but must admit that I feel so so good when I return to my geeky roots and overwork my brain and rock these tests despite not being an average law student. Its like... my thing now.

Well, I am off to pack my brain full of legal knowledge. Send well-wishes through the airwaves and interwebs as you see fit! I will need every. last. one.

Love,
Kyle

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2010-05-07T07:29:00.000-07:00

Meet LJ!

He is 19 months old and sporting his Hug Me Tee. And how ADORABLE is his b&b-style statement on the photo?! Of course it made me sit here and swoon so I had to post two photos.

LJ's mother, Patricia, has a great blog and wrote a sweet and thoughtful review of us here.

Patricia reports that LJ's favorite food is green beans, saying that "He loves his veggies, even without cheese on them!" He is also a big outdoorsman (as evidenced by the above photos) and loves elephants and 'quack quacks!'

When not outdoors, LJ enjoys saying his vowels and has recently fallen in love with Elmo. (Welcome to the club... Elmo's the greatest!)

We think LJ is just about the cutest little guy!

Thanks to Patricia & LJ for the photos! (:

Sending some positive happiness to you all!

2010-04-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

I hope this Friday finds you all enjoying your day and getting ready for a wonderful weekend!

With the crazy things happening in this world (oil spill in the Gulf and Arizona immigration law) I wanted to send some fun, simple, positivity to you all.

I've been reminding myself lately to not get bogged down in the daily obstacles and stresses and the horrible sad things going on in other parts of the world.

Your worrying does no one any good. What does good is an energized and inspired person helping create a solution and making a difference in their own community. Its all connected. Feeling overwhelmed by the millions of gallons of oil soaking the oceans off the coast of Louisiana? Go walk some dogs and clean some kennels at your local humane society. Are you upset by the people starving in Uganda? Call your local soup kitchen and see if they need anything from Costco and drop it off to them. Everything has a ripple effect.

What's important is that you take time to enjoy your life. Its great, isn't it? No matter if you can't pay your bills or you work for a jerk or your inlaws drive you up the wall 24-7. Life is great. So go immerse yourself in what makes you happy and bounce along through your day and all the stressers. Just ignore them!

I love Kina Grannis and have been listening to her all day! (And will see her in SF in 2 weeks!) I love her cover of the peppy Train song.

(I dedicate that video to my great friend Monika because she is one of the only infinitely positive and happy and wonderful people I know. And she is my soul sister actually. Or biological one maybe. I get so stressed and she so CONSTANTLY encouraging and I never thank her enough for that. Thanks, Mon!)

Then this is Kina's new video that is equally as sweet and lovely. I love it.

Have a great weekend everyone! What are you all doing? Any fun plans?

Love,
Kyle

We are on Mini Social tomorrow!

2010-04-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

We are trying to clear out some of our old stock on The Mini Social tomorrow through Friday! For those of you not familiar, The Mini Social is a members only sale sight like Gilt Group or Rue La La, where you can get your designers clothing at lower prices at the end of the season. Our excess tanks and tees from Fall2009 are up there for $10 or so. (:

This will help up fund our causes and make room for the awesome Fall 2010 things rolling in soon! Wahoooo!

Will you go sign up and snatch up some b&b? And tell your friends! Thanks!

(:
barley & birch crew

Inspiration & Pit Bulls

2010-04-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

Hi All! I hope you had a lovely weekend and are beginning (or getting ready to begin) your work week full of energy and revitalized. Its been a while since I felt revitalized and ready for a Monday, as usually I spend my weekends getting caught up and ahead of the rest of the population that doesn't work 90hrs week. (Its like the P.Diddy philosophy.... or something?) But this week I feel rested and ready to go get 'em!

Anyway!

I am most inspired when I have wrapped up my work and get out and am totally exhausted. I used to surf alllllll day, head to yoga, and dream up the best way to build a children's clothing empire. My mind has been really cloudy with stress and growing pains and obstacles lately and I've really been needing some time to get away and get everything set and straightened out in my head.

So today we went on an epic hike.

Needless to say I've planned out the coolest stuff ever and figured out how to make it all work. I am giddy with excitement over these ideas. I can't wait to share them with you all!

I of course took time to pose for several million photos with my 2nd best friend (after Alia), Theopolous Wolverine Horatio Merstacules Smitley(-Barry) aka Theo, my 80lb 9 month old puppy. He is half Pit Bull and half German Shepherd and really the best dog in the universe. (Having an intensely overbearing and bossy human momma helps, I think.)

I just love this little guy and decided to create our Pit Bull shirt with the hopes of raising at least a couple thousand dollars to support rescues all over the country. The breed is often used for fighting and kept in incredibly cruel situations and, living in the Bay Area, I've seen these poor puppies with cuts mended with staplers and skin conditions treated with motor oil one too many times to just sit by and do nothing.

So I figured we'd make our Pit Bull shirt and hope that people loved these little pups as much as I do. We can print on any light color tee or on our own. For sizing reference, I am wearing a small. They run true to size and shrink up a little bit.

The pup on our tee is a rescue pup as well. Her name is Honey and she belongs to Eileen and Shawn, who are friends of Jodie and were kind enough to let us use her cutie mug on our tees.

For your Sunday evening enjoyment, here is one segment of our lovefest at the top of a mountain.

This is just the norm. Being smothered in attention and love.

I'm trying to move him to a more photogenic position.

He "gives kisses" that are more like really intense nose pokes with a drooly tongue flailing.

Chaos.
Please don't let the enormous tongue and sweaty grimace in this photo discourage you from snatching up one of our Pit Bull tees.

I'd love to hear how YOU get inspired? And of course would also love to hear about how much you love your dogs and all the crazy things you do for them, too. Leave comments below!

Love,
Kyle

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2010-04-21T04:00:00.000-07:00

Oh my GOODNESS. How cute can you get?

Meet Genevieve! This little cutie (sporting her blue b&b Erin sweater) is the daughter of Sarah and niece of Alasandra, who owns Vivi Bambini in Ho-ho-Kus, New Jersey. Genevieve aka "Vivi" was a large part of the inspiration to start Vivi, actually!

Vivi's favorite color is blue (as demonstrated above) and her favorite TV show is Olivia. Alasandra reports that Vivi's favorite thing to do is to explore the stream behind her Oma's house (Alasandra and Sarah's mother.)

Well, we think that she is totally beautiful! We've met Genevieve's Aunt Sandy and her Oma and know that her mother is wonderful. We think Vivi will be the next in the line of wonderful women looking to improve the world. (:

Thanks to Sarah, Sandy, and Vivi for the photo! (:

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2010-04-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

Meet Michael! Michael is rocking his adorable Bridge Tee!

Michael is the darling son on Danielle, who has the wonderful blog Getting Kind of Crunchy!

Thanks to Danielle and Michael for the photos!

Spring and Easter and Happy and Pretty.

2010-04-02T10:28:00.001-07:00

Well who knows if its the grey weather or the overwhelming nature of law school or the headaches that I am getting from b&b lately, but I am feeling so discouraged, and crabby, and frustrated, and basically just like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh lately!

Everything is glum and negative in my outlook lately which just is not normal.

So this weekend I am devoting some time to getting happy and catching up on sleep and some work that I enjoy and will enjoy to tie up.

How do you all get happy when you are feeling down?

I found this photo on the blog of my friend Catherine of Rikshaw Design and it cheered me up and I wanted to share it with you all!

I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Love,
Kyle

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2010-03-31T12:59:00.000-07:00

With our very first Spring 2010 collection "Wear it!" Wednesday, meet cutie Gage! Look at the smile! Do you think he is giggling at the bear eating sushi or if he is just that happy and cute? I suspect its the latter. (:

Gage is the adorable son of the equally as adorable Emily of DesignHER Momma. We love reading her blog and love following her tweets. (Despite the fact that she is Michigan State alum and we, as a business I think, are Wolverines for life. She actually just reviewed the Sushi onepiece and is offering a giveaway! (Go enter!)

Gage is 4 months old and currently enjoying his first vacation in sunny Florida. Emily reports that he is very happy and smiles all day long, taking after his father. His favorite activities include being worn in a sling by his mom (he could stay there for hours) and taking 2 long naps a day. Gage has 2 big sisters that keep him entertained every waking moment.

Well with a smile-y dad, smart and funny momma, and two sisters, we think Gage is destined to be a happy and sweet little boy.

Thanks to Emily and Gage for the photos!

Two Truths & a Lie-- an open offer! (Miriam's Kitchen Post Pt. 2)

2010-03-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

So, per the previous post, I am packing up my check to send to Miriams Kitchen today. (Check out these videos of some news segments they were featured on today. It gives a neat glimpse into the awesome things they are doing.)

I also happened to swing by Costco and (while snacking on a frozen yogurt and looking at cords for big TVs for my dad) I realized that, sure, we were sending a $74 dollar check to feed the homeless. But thats really nothing in the big picture. Miriam's feeds 200 people each MORNING!

And I thought "I should give more." But, like many of you all out there, I thought, "But, we can't." It was that simple. We try to fund things all the time and we are very much over-donated and, well, we couldn't. "Me sponsoring even an entire meal per month isn't sustainable at this point for b&b financially." I thought. "I should. But I can't." Taking another chomp of my frozen yogurt and watching snowboarding on the 100 huge screened TVs, I realized "I will send some stuff they need though. In this world of too much, its the least I can do."

So I moseyed over to the coffee. $12 for huge bag of organic and local coffee. Okay.

Then I looked at socks. $12 for a set of socks. Sounds good.

Then it hit me! I didn't have to save the world all by myself! Other people could spend $24 and arguably not even notice the expense in their budget. And Miriam's needs things like jeans and coffee mugs, too! Things that you have sitting around and want to get rid of! Or things you could get at Goodwill for a few bucks! They keep their wishlist updated and tweet it often.

So, I would like to formally announce our open offer to you all:

If you e-mail us (hey@barleyandbirch.com) a photo of you or your kids packing up a box of goodies to send to Miriam's Kitchen and include your address, we will send you a complimentary piece of barley & birch clothing as a "Thank you."

Tell your friends!

Love,
Kyle

Two Truths & a Lie-- Reveal! (Miriam's Kitchen Post Pt. 1)

2010-03-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

Its time to announce the answer to our "Two Truths and a Lie" post featuring our beloved Miriam's Kitchen!

Watch this video from Jenn, the Development Associate at Miriam's to find out the correct facts and the lie. Did you guess correctly?!

To refresh your memory, we asked you all to guess which of the following facts was FALSE:

1. A typical guest at Miriam’s Kitchen has been homeless for nearly 5 years.

2. Most of our guests stay in transitional housing, but come to us for their meals and support services that aren’t available in their home

3. One of our guests has his painting of Barack Obama hanging in the White House.

We had 74 guesses on this blog post, which means that I will be sending a $74 dollar check to them today.

Thanks to the folks at Miriam's for letting us draw some attention to their amazing work!

(Part 2 of this post will be posted later today and gives you a way to get some free barley&birch. Excited?)

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2010-03-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

Meet the adorable Lola! Lola is the daughter of the amazing Jen of Sophie&Lili, that I know you all love already! Everyone of all ages loves the adorable dolls that she makes. I want, like, all of them actually.

Lola, seen wearing our Panda Tank, loves coloring and, as her mother notes, "cutting paper to shreds." Her favorite food is pasta and she loves watching Yo Gabba Gabba. (I have never seen YGG but everyone loves it... do I need to record a few?) We think that Lola is just the cutest little thing with the most darling smile!

The bigggggg news from Sophie&Lili and barley&birch are our dolls that we are collaborating on! Neato, right?! We have worked out 6 designs with dolls that are wearing the barley&birch Spring 2010 collection! Watch Sophie&Lili's Facebook page and Twitter as they release the final two! You can see the dolls we've released so far here.

Here is the Jum dress Sophie&Lili doll!

We are truly honored to be able to collaborate with Jen in this way and hope that you all love the dolls as much as we do! These will be available on a special ecommerce site for pre-order in a few weeks! They will also be headed to retailers all across the country.

Thanks to Lola and Jen for the photos and for letting us work with you! (:

Our letterpress goodies!

2010-03-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

HI!! I'm back! So sorry for the incredibly long hiatus from our blogging.

That time was filled by frantically packing up boxes full of our Spring and shipping them to our retailers, planning our AWESOME web redesign, finalizing Fall, and me writing long, important papers for school!

But I'm back!

And I want to tell you about someone I really am crazy about-- Bird Dog Press.

They made some new stationary for us. Like, gorgeous right? Oh they are made from recycled materials!

This one is on a heavy recycled cardstock. Very earthy looking.

And this is just PCW recycled paper, I think.

This is recycled cotton! So soft!

Alli, the genius behind BDP, is as kind as she is genius and visionary. Look at this baby announcement and tell me you don't want to just BE in Alli's head! It would be like a geniune, sincere world of pretty! And her press kit? Wow!

This video of her creating her little masterpieces is really cool to watch, too! (The Guy, who takes little interest in my world of baby things, loved watching this!)

Bird Dog Press, Lyons, Colorado from Kevin Von Qualen on Vimeo.

Check her out! Soak up some creativity on her blog, and go snatch up some of her genius from her shop.

Love,
Kyle

Entrepreneurship.

2010-03-05T10:02:00.000-08:00

(Preface: I have been doing talk after talk and interview after interview about what being an entrepreneur is and how its impacted my life, so I am always thinking of what it means to my life. Below lies the loopy thoughts of a VERY tired small business owner who is in the process of rolling out SS2010 and polishing FW2010. All while writing papers and studying law.)

Today I took a look in the mirror and felt compelled to share what I saw. It was like a different human being.

It reminded me of those "This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs." commercials.

I have received about 3 hours of sleep a night this entire week. I haven't showered in 3 days. I am wearing the same clothes as yesterday because... I was too strung out on tiredness to realize that thats why they were laying on my dresser. My skin is like out of control and the circles under my eyes makes me wonder if I am part raccoon. The bags go down across my cheeks.

Its like I am on this new drug on the streets-- ENTREPRENEURSHIP.

I used to have good hygiene. I used to work in skincare and wear touches of makeup to polish off a perfect glow. I used to love trips to Sephora with Patty, Nat, and Hala reveling in the good smelling and beauty-making things there. I used to be put together. I used to not consider coffee a suitable lunch.

But now I never smell good. Hygiene is an afterthought. Coffee is a great well-rounded meal for me. Its like the downhill spiral of someones life that screams "Someone please intervene!"

I share this with you all because I have had so many conversations with young entrepreneurs about this. Its the ugly (literally) side of running your own business. Oh, and doing it while in law school doesn't help.

So, for your viewing pleasure.

THIS IS YOUR KYLE:

THIS IS YOUR KYLE ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP:

(I turned my head just for you, so you could see the greasy sheen.)

My goal for this weekend is to get pretty and take care of myself! My challenge to you all: take some time for yourselves and treat yourselves to something special. Can't wait to hear what you all do.

Love,
Kyle

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2010-03-03T22:19:00.000-08:00

Meet Sienna Miele! She is wearing our Fishies Laptee.

Sienna is the niece (basically) of our beloved Eli.

Without Eli, we would not be in business! He is the logistical printing genius behind our signature photo prints that are done over the entire piece. (If you notice, not many brands, if ANY, do this, as its very difficult and labor intensive.) He is basically the coolest guy ever and we are lucky to work with him.

But back to cutie Sienna! Sienna is a true green baby, living in the same super cool farm community in which Eli was raised.

We just can't help from smiling when we look at her darling grin.

Thanks to Eli, Sienna, and Sienna's parents for the photo!

My Thursday Reality.

2010-02-25T16:54:00.000-08:00

So by now I think you all know that I, Kyle, owner of b&b, am also a law student. I love learning about the law and cannot wait to be a real practicing lawyer (despite what many think, I do still want to practice law despite the successes of b&b!)

Anyway, my Thursdays are SO LONG. I get here at 9am for class and then have an 8 hour break before my last class, which ends at 10pm. So I spend my hours in the setting in the above photo. Textbook, e-mail, and coffee.

My time is broken up by taking business calls and getting caught up on returning calls. (Note that unfortunately I did not say reading.) Many of you have actually chatted with me during this time.

It just occurred to me today that this is such a funny lifestyle. My Evidence class ends at 11am and as soon as the last student leaves I crank up some Taylor Swift, Jay Z, Steel Pulse, FFD, or Outkast and get to WORK on building a world-changing children's brand/EMPIRE.

I work on blog posts, invoice retailers, confirm shipments, chat with suppliers, and start INNOVATING. It is in my Thursday caffeine-and-TSwift-induced highs that I have thought of the COOLEST new things coming from us at barley & birch.

But its kind of funny, right? That all this crazy awesome exciting business stuff is born in this dark sketchy lecture hall in between Evidence and Constitutional Law class in downtown San Fransisco?

Or have I been listening to too much Taylor and am just totally losing my mind?

Hm! Off to class!

Love,
Kyle

P.S. Sometimes this guy is in here too. He swears he doesn't mind the confused music selection blasting.

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2010-02-24T12:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Wear it Wednesday to you all! You get TWO cutie barley & birch-loving tots this week to make up for lack of Wear It Wednesday the last two weeks! They are both sporting their b&b for RockerByeBaby Tees!

These two little guys are the adorable sons of Leslie, the most inspiring eco-Mama that I have come across. By reading her blog, Recycle Your Day, I am inspired to work harder to be even greener. I think I am super green and then I read her blog, where she is making her own deorderant and body lotions all while making her own pickles and raw dinners for her family. Like... how does she do this right? I am baffled and inspired at the same time!

Not to mention the fact that the first time I met Leslie, she was tweeting through her incredible natural birth all while making soup for her houseguests to enjoy while she gave birth. YES, I am serious. No, I am not sure if she is superhuman but I am guessing as much.

BUT, lets get to these cuties!

Tristan, her eldest, is often referred to as the "eco tot" because, well, he is eco-loving AND was born on Earth Day. Tristan's favorite food is organic homemade granola (prounounced "buh-nola"), homemade hummus w/ crudités (plate of veggies) and pickles.Leslie reports that he is also very fond of Surf Sweet organic jelly beans. His favorite activity is upcycling items from around the home and incorporating them into a craft. His mother said, "Today, we made binoculars from toilet paper rolls- went on a nature walk and spotted birds. He also loves to make mud pies in his sand box."

Wow, does this little guy make being a green kid sound adorable or what?

And then there is Clark, also known as "Baby C." Leslie reports that Baby C is loving his green smoothies and organic bananas right now. His favorite thing to do is to watch his big brother and being held in his Ergo. His family notes that he also loves ALL animals at the moment.

Well we think these two guys and their parents make for the most eco-and-cute-packed house that we could possibly imagine.

Thanks to Leslie and her boys for the photos!

Missing. In. Action.

2010-02-22T14:26:00.000-08:00

Hi all!

I have about a million blog posts that are being written and have been endlessly busy these past few weeks and for some reason have chosen getting a few hours of sleep each night over maintaining our beloved blog. I love my blog!

This weekend I was in Ohio to take a class on Terrorism and International Law. I was also visiting with friends and family, doing TV interviews, and organizing our Spring 2010 collection as we get ready to ship it to our retailers. (Photo above was taken on my cell phone while Tara, the reporter, was interviewing Marianne and her baby Braden about why they love barley&birch. Can you see that he is wearing our Octi Onepiece?! Photo below of Cassdy, the cutie daughter of the produce manager of Phoenix Earth Food Co-op in Toledo, Ohio, our newest retailer and the coolest grocery on the planet. I love everyone there! How adorable is she in our Gazelle Tee?)

So I wanted to share some things we are working on:

-Rolling out Spring 2010. We have our natural tees in, our sweaters are in transit, and our first round of wovens are on their way to us. We love our Spring collection and know they are going to fly off our retailers shelves and are SO excited to get them to them.

-Planning our Fall 2010 shoot. The inspiration is the U.S. food production and the cool local farms with their heirloom species and breeds.

-Finalizing our Fall 2010 collection! We are designing adorable prints and garments for kids (and possibly their awesome mommies!) and I can't say enough how adorable this collection is going to be. Like, what little boy would not what Mr. Moo down below on their shirt?

-Figuring out a new, game-changing website that I won't say much more about. Just think: have you ever wanted to get paid to volunteer and improve your community? Hm. Okay then.

-Designing our pieces to benefit Haiti, 100% of the purchase price of which will go to groups with which I have worked personally. Many people are doing tees, but we feel its important to do our own due to my 10 year relationship with the country and because we have funded schools and clinics there from day one.

How do you feel about those updates? Are you excited? Bored? We love to hear your feedback!

Anyway, thank you for your patience and for still loving us even though we are incommunicado. We will be back on our blogging game this week! (:

XO
Kyle

Our first sponsorship-- PROUD.

2010-02-05T16:37:00.000-08:00

We get asked to sponsor things and advertise at least once a day.

We always decline, as I fiercely guard our budget to ensure that we can donate as much money as we do yet still have the resources we need to continue our growth and expansion plans. (There will come a time when we sponsor and advertise all over the place, of course, its just not now.)

But then Sara Sophia, of our beloved tout-est-des-roses was looking for sponsors for Blissdom. Of course we had to say yes! We've connected with her so so deeply over the past year and want her to have all the opportunities to reach more people that she can. So we really didn't give it a 2nd thought.

Well, until we did some checking up on all the zillions of people going to Blissdom. Wow, this was, like, a big conference. It wasn't just some little thing she just wanted to do. Everyone is there in this blogging world (in which we are very much still getting our bearings.) There are people with like a trillion followers. Whoa, and that one is inspiringly, awesomely thrifty. Oh, and that lady has like a cult following. And that one is sort of crabby. Cool women!

And then all of the sudden a huge smile crept across my face and I was filled with this enormous sense of pride and gratefulness. Our sponsee, Sara Sophia, is the perfect person for us to sponsor and to represent us as a brand. We literally support every single facet of her life and thoughts and, seriously, who could not love her personality? I look to her for cheer and inspiration. I look forward to reading her posts and basking in her positive and own-beat-marching energy.

Like, this video, for example. I've watched it at least half a million times (like many of you!) Usually at 2am when I am just overwhelmed and disenchanted with life. And it makes me smile and kiss my puppy and be happy about the whole world. How can you not melt when you watch it? (Also love the cameo of the Gazelle onepiece.)

So, I guess what I am trying to say is that (1) by spending our first sponsorship/advertising dollar we took our first step to real business-ness (not just new-kids-on-the-block world changing) and (2) that we are so intensely proud of our sponsee that I can't even express it. Its a new step for us and I couldn't be happier.

TGIF! Hope you all have an amazing weekend!

Love,
Kyle

b&b retailer-- Wiggle Room (just a little bragging)

2010-02-04T19:55:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I think I am the only one who leads a double life as a student and then as a business owner. I toil away in law school all day and handle business in my gaps. I get pats on the back and it makes the work seem a little lighter and worthwhile.

Nicole Adenauer, co-owner of our beloved retailer Wiggle Room, puts me to shame.

Nicole co-owns a booming children's boutique. Nicole is currently finishing her Masters in International Peace and Conflict Resolution at American University in D.C. Um, WOW, right?

But there is more! She recently completed an internship in the U.S. Department of State. While there Nicole completed research on modern slavery, specifically with the supply chains involving the U.S. food supply.

This research was so outstanding that Nicole was honored by the State Department by being named a Hometown Diplomat for the city of Miami. The Miami Herald profiled Nicole here. This article shines a great light on the amazing mind she has and work she has done.

Her accomplishments are so incredibly impressive and awe-inspiring and I can't help but gush at the world-changing that Nicole is doing while running Wiggle Room. Truly, this blog post doesn't even do justice to her past work, advocacy, knowledge, and successes.

I am so lucky to have Nicole as a business and personal friend and just had to do a little bragging for her, as she is the most humble person on the planet.

Congratulations, Nicole! We can't wait to see what you will achieve next. (:

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2010-02-03T20:50:00.000-08:00

Meet Sydney!

Sydney's mother is Erin, a writer for the blog In The Know Mom. (Sarah, the other writer, has a daughter that was featured last week.)

Sydney is 2 years old and her favorite animal is a monkey. Her mother tells us that her favorite foods are pickles and popcorn. Her favorite color is purple (like our Poppies Tee that she is sporting!) and she loves to paint.

Well we think she is completely adorable.

Thanks to Erin and Sydney for the photos!

2 truths & a lie: Miriam's Kitchen-- special edition

2010-01-28T01:00:00.000-08:00

Who: Miriam's Kitchen

What: Miriam's Kitchen provides free, homemade meals and support services to over 4,000 of Washington D.C.'s homeless every year.

Why we are obsessed: I volunteered with Miriam's Kitchen while I was doing my internship in Washington D.C. last summer. I even won 2nd place in their pie baking contest!

I was first drawn to them as an organization due to their focus on serving their guests with dignity. Literally, when they would tweet their menu in the morning I would be DROOLING.

So I went in and did jobs that varied from peeling a million potatoes to frying a million plantains. When I was really lucky, I would be able to serve the guests. "Would you like some syrup with your pancakes?" was one of my favorite positions. Or manning the milk cart. That was fun, too.

Each staffer at Miriam's treats their guests like their own family. They care about getting them support, whether that's a warm meal, a pair of socks, housing, a canvas to paint, or someone to talk to.

Oh, and the White House loves them, which is pretty neat. (See the First Lady in the photo above!) Miriam's was one of the beneficiary's from the snazzy White House organic garden, actually!

Miriam's also hit a huge milestone recently. They were able to expand their services to offer dinner meals as well. This takes what they do to a totally new level of awesomeness.

Miriam's Kitchen is one of those places that you feel good supporting and blogging about about a million times. (Like I do.) They really inspire me to push the limits and keep growing and to not get comfortable just thinking that you are doing enough for your community and the world.

So, regardless of us draining our accounts to send money to our colleagues in Haiti, we need to send some barley&birch dollars to Miriam's Kitchen.

So let's test your knowledge of homelessness. For every person that attempts to guess the one INCORRECT fact below, barley&birch will donate $1 (which is an entire meal for a guest) to Miriam's Kitchen.

Which one is NOT TRUE:

1. A typical guest at Miriam’s Kitchen has been homeless for nearly 5 years.

2. Most of our guests stay in transitional housing, but come to us for their meals and support services that aren’t available in their home

3. One of our guests has his painting of Barack Obama hanging in the White House.

Start guessing!

P.S. Please check out their website, follow them on Twitter. They often tweet their "wish list" which contains things as simple as socks, jeans, and coffee. Consider spending a few extra bucks the next time you are at the grocery store and shipping off a box of goodies to them.

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2010-01-27T09:59:00.000-08:00

Wow, how cute can you get, right?

Meet Savannah! Savannah's mom, Sarah, is one of the writers for the popular blog In The Know Mom. (Erin, the other writer, also has an adorable daughter that will be featured next week!)

Savannah is 3 years old and her favorite foods are apples and cheese. Her mom also reports that Savannah's favorite things to do are to swim and play "soccer" at the park. Savannah loves giraffes and her favorite color is orange!

Sarah and Erin were kind enough to give barley & birch a sweet review on their blog recently!

Thanks to Sarah and Savannah for the photos!

My time in Haiti.

2010-01-14T17:50:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, barley & birch was created because of the people of Haiti and, later, El Salvador and Central America as a whole. I am sickened watching the news footage of Haiti and seeing the photos of buildings collapsed onto masses of people, so I wanted to share just a few of my own photos (scanned from hard copy) to share another, more beautiful side, of this country and talk a little about why I love it so deeply. When I first traveled to Haiti, it was my first time out of the country. (Photo below is of the Port Au Prince airport.) I was going to help others, is just about all I knew.

I traveled in cattle trucks with a team to deliver rice and water to schools all over the area.

We would travel 4 hours one way to bring food and water, wash their hair with anti-fungal shampoo (the fungus can spiral into a variety of more devastating health issues), and giving various vitamins and medicine. If we had time, we loved to get a moment to play with the kids before we had to head back home. Sometimes, if we had enough people though, we would perform a puppet show in our best (though still sloppy) Creole and English. Giving the kids a chance to just be purely silly, unburdened by their worries of malnutrition and worms, was amazing.

Then one day we went to the market. And someone tried to kidnap me.

Then we went to town, and walked by a social area where two bodies lay, shot by a local gang leader for whatever reason, families forbidden to move them so the leader could make his control clear. They obeyed for fear of their own lives.

Then women asked me to hold their child and ran away, hoping that I would take the baby and give it a better life in my country.

Then we went to hospitals, and I made the mistake of breaking off from the group and poking around, looking for some kids to play with to break the sorrow. I stumbled into the room of people. I asked a nurse, "Why are there flies all over these people?" She said, "They are dead." I asked, "Why are they still laying here?" She said "The families are legally obligated to deal with burial, and no one can afford the headstone or casket, so they don't claim the body."

I was only 17. And got a huge dose of the real world. I was too young to effectively cope with the emotional shock and just internalized it, ignored it, and became a Haitian so the hurt I was feeling would go away. I mastered "bon jour" and "bon swa" and smiled a lot.

The landscape was stunningly beautiful. (These photos don't do it justice, but I will upload more soon.) The little villages were warm and happy.

The people were beautiful, inside and out. They were gracious and appreciative and felt blessed in their lives.

I ate bananas for breakfast and mangoes for dinner. And breadfruit, which I still unsuccessfully seek out to this day. I would cry with my head between my knees so no one would see me crying about their malnourished babies as we drove away. I would smile and hold the hands of dying kids, not allowing myself to blink because I knew a tear would fall down the cheek that they could clearly see and did not want them to see how sad I was that they had to suffer.

We danced and sang and talked and watched the cool fisherman in their cool sailboats and ran over to see what they had caught every sunset when they came in. So this was how we lived. Happy and filled with sadness at the same time.

Then, I had to go back home. To my family and friends. I remember driving my car home and needing to roll down the windows because it was so silent. I hadn't been in a closed in car in who knows how long. I got home and I instantly missed Haiti. I missed the slow way of living. I missed not caring about all the silly things, but only caring about buying food at the market and helping bring food and water to others. I missed feeling like I was doing something good, rather than just spinning my wheels with the meaningless things of life.

I had Haiti on my brain from then on. I moved my paintings that I bought there from home to college to new home to new home, each time hanging a particular one so it was the first thing I saw in the morning, reminding me to be significant with each day, to do something good. Not to be "just another pretty face" as my father so kindly reminds me.

And so I traveled and worked in Central America. And graduated from DePauw. And started barley & birch, a clothing line created to give kids a healthy option and world, while using the profits to fund schools and clinics in Haiti first, and then Central America.

When town halls in the area in Haiti in which I worked were destroyed, they called us. When a school near one of our schools was reporting 90% of their children as malnourished, we broke the bank to send rice and water to an additional school immediately.

And now, the earthquake.

I feel sort of like I felt in the photo below. Idly standing by, letting those who are trained professionals do the work, because I don't know where to start or how to be most effective. (Sans Haitian braids and really cool outfit, of course.)

I miss Haiti and want the people there to not suffer anymore. I want to go back and see my friends and build it all back up.

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2010-01-06T17:31:00.000-08:00

Well, its our first repeat Wear It Wednesday starlet, but how could we resist this cuteness? Here, Sophie is snuggled up getting ready to sleep in her b&b Cactus Tank.

Meet (or re-meet I suppose) darling Sophie. She was featured in our very first Wear it Wednesday post alongside her brothers.

Sophie is one of the namesakes behind her mum Natalie's clothing company, Sophie 4 Sophie. (The other Sophie is Natalie's sister.) Sophie 4 Sophie's signature piece is their reversable little girls dress. I've seen and felt these dresses before and was floored by the quality and attention to detail (there is even a small pocket in which you tuck the tag when you are reversing the design.) I cannot wait until they cet a stockist in the US so I can snatch them up fr the million little girls being born into my life at the moment!

Natalie was our very first friend on Twitter, and we value her friendship infinitely. She is the first person to lend an encouraging voice when we are challenged and a congratulatory voice when we succeed.

If cutie Soph has even a quarter of her mum's heart, she will grow up to be a fantastic young lady. (:

Thanks to Nat and Soph for the photos!

Love.

2010-01-05T12:05:00.000-08:00

I just love this video. It was made by, and features, one of my favorite people, Sara Sophia of tout-est-des-roses.

Check out the cameo of our very own Gazelle onepiece.

I don't think I will ever not get butterflies when I see our clothing on children.

THEN, when I see or hear of a parent allowing their precious babe to sleep and snuggle in our clothing, I get very choked up. All work and sleepless nights I spent making that piece perfectly free of all toxins and perfectly made have paid off. Their child will have a sleep free of harsh chemicals and heavy metals and I got to play a part in it. That was the mission, and its happening. It's really the most incredible feeling.

Isn't this video just the most darling thing you have ever seen?

I just had to share. So you all could have a lovely little break in your hectic lives.

(:
Kyle

Feeling like a real business!

2010-01-04T22:39:00.000-08:00

I started barley & birch to change the world.

The "being a real business owner" stuff has fallen into place slowly since that date. We got Quickbooks and started havinv scheduled meetings and setting growth goals. Oh, and then Inc. Magazine wrote an article about us.

And starting today, we do real e-mail campaigns. Check out the recent e-mail we sent to our retailers.

This might seem like a big fat nothing to 99.9% of you, but to us, its SO COOL.

I think we are a real business now! Thank you for helping us along each step.

Love,
Kyle

2 truths and a lie- confessions

2010-01-03T21:22:00.000-08:00

We are getting back into the routine of our guest blogging, but before we do, we need to confess some lies.

In November, I lied to you. The lie was that my mother toured with Bruce Springsteen. I am horribly terrified of clowns, mascots, Santa, etc. I also have two fake teeth from a surfing accident in which I knocked out some teeth and ripped off my face. (Photo far below of the stitches I had from jaw to jaw complete with a swollen face.)

Then, Summer from fawn&forest lied to you. While no one wanted to hurt her feelings by guessing it, her lie was that she was in Inc. 30 under 30 list.

And then finally, Amber, from RockerByeBaby lied to you. Her lie was that everyone in her wedding party worse Converse. Hm, that makes her truths even more awesome and interesting!

Are you all getting pretty good at this? Well, stay tuned for some more lies from our favorite people.

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2009-12-30T14:30:00.000-08:00

Whew-- finished with the the Gift Guide fun and back to Wear it Weds.!

And what better of a way to get back into the swing of things than with this little darling! Meet Jace. Jace's mother, Beth, has the super cool blog, The Fabulous Won. She recently was kind enough to review barley & birch. We loved that she gave her own shout out to the groups we love and support.

But back to darling Jace. Jace is "crazy, loud" and a stranger to no man! His mother also reports that he requests to watch the movie Cars at least 10 times a day and loves playing with his Hot Wheels and "Bear Bear" that he received from his Great Grandma.

Jace's smile goes from ear to ear and can truly brighten anyone's day with it.

Well, we think that that is just the perfect way to end 2009 dose of Wear It Wednesday-- with a happy darling little boy.

Thanks to Beth and Jace for the photos!

GIFT GUIDE: 12th Day-- A Hug.

2009-12-18T20:36:00.000-08:00

The holidays really aren't about giving gifts.

The holiday season is about sharing love with friends, family, and members of your community. Giving material gifts might help express that love, but the gifts do not validate or define it. So this holiday, feel free to not give a single gift or donation to any of the causes listed these eleven days. Instead, give your giftee's a hug and sincerely tell them what they mean to you and that you appreciate their presence in your life more than they might realize. That is what the gifts are intended to do, but you will find that verbally expressing the sentiments communicates them much more effectively than giving a sweater. Or you could write a note. Or a poem. Sharing love and kindness with those around you is what the holidays are for, not gifts.

----------------------------------
Thank you all for being a part of barley & birch's wonderful community. Each of us loves you all and we appreciate the opportunity to have connected with you once or every day since we opened our doors. Have a wonderful holiday season.

(Photo above is of Alia and I posing in a neighbor's yard. Wow, right?)

GIFT GUIDE: 11th Day-- Donation to their local library.

2009-12-17T20:14:00.000-08:00

As the economy struggles to revive itself, one area that is still struggling is our public libraries. People are doing things increasingly digitally and I am told that libraries are becoming things of the past. Well, I don't agree with that nor am I willing to accept it.

I loved, and still love, my local library (pictured above) and could spend whole days there just lost in all the neat books that those walls contained. Do you know a bookworm? Make a monetary donation to the library in their neighborhood and you will give them the most meaningful gift you can give-- sharing the love of books with their community.

GIFT GUIDE: 10th Day-- Water.

2009-12-16T19:33:00.000-08:00

"Right now, almost a billion people on the planet don't have access to safe, clean drinking water. That's one in eight of us."

charity: water is an incredible non-profit organization. Their tireless efforts to bring a source of clean water to developing areas all over the world are truly infinitely inspiring to me and everyone involved with them.

One thing I love about them is that 100% of your donation goes directly to serve the people you want it to serve, as the group's administrative costs are covered by other private donors.

I also love that they do great work in my beloved Haiti, where clear water is like gold.

charity: water asserts that $20 can give one person clean water for 20 years.

I love their gift section. For those giftee's that don't like a printed certificate or photo of what you have done to honor them, charity: water has bracelets, certificates, and DVDs explaining what they do and where the money went.

Giving the gift of water- something that so many of us take for granted- is a wonderful gift for absolutely any friend.

GIFT GUIDE: 9th Day-- Give to their alma mater

2009-12-15T19:12:00.000-08:00

This is one of the most touching gifts that I have been given.

I give money away a lot. But its not my personal money, its that of barley & birch. So I forget to donate on a personal level. I, therefore, don't give to my alma mater, DePauw, very much. Last year for my birthday, a friend made a $25 donation to DePauw in my honor. I was absolutely floored. It was amazing. My heart was endlessly warmed and I will never forget it.

A donation to your giftee's alma mater is a touching way of expressing that you are thankful for the person their university (or high school or junior high school) made them and wanted to pay tribute to that.

Were they a soccer player? You could donate to the soccer program. Geology major? Donate to the geology field trip fund.

Giving a gift to a friend's alma mater is the gift to give someone you deeply respect who enjoyed their undergraduate (or highschool or junior high school) education.

You will warm their heart in a way that no other gift can.

GIFT GUIDE: 8th Day-- Donation to local school.

2009-12-14T18:47:00.000-08:00

I personally often fall victim to thinking too globally. I think of the people I lived with in El Salvador and their school that needed new books. I think of the schools in Haiti that had an unclean and inconsistent water source. I donate there. I worry about the schools there. Schools around the world consume my thoughts. I rarely remember to think of the school a block from my house. But the reality of it all is that thousands of schools here are in dire need of just a little boost of support. A few gallons of tempura paint so the kids can paint rather than only draw, a years' supply of facial tissues (24 boxes or so), a big box of extra pencils, extra crayons, anything. Domestic public schools are often hurting for basic supplies. Have an artist friend? Call the public school close to her home and ask what the art teacher would like that they can purchase for $100 or so. Donate the money to the school there, so the kids that attend the school can have as enriching an education as possible. Have a musical friend? See if the music teachers has any kids unable to afford a recorder for the annual recital, unable to pay their membership into and after school music lesson, or unable to attend an upcoming field trip. Cover the costs in honor of your friend and let them now. Enriching your local schools benefits absolutely everyone in the school and community. And the U.S. as a whole. Give the gift of an enriched education this year. (Photo above is of my elementary school in small town Ohio. I can still sing my school song perfectly and am infinitely grateful for the education I received there.)

GIFT GUIDE: 7th Day-- A chicken.

2009-12-13T18:54:00.000-08:00

No, for real. A chicken!

Before you laugh too hard, I will acknowledge that this gift is not for everyone. But I would like to posit that this gift can be for more people than you might imagine. More and more of my friends and colleagues in the world-changing field are getting a pair or trio of chickens for their backyard.

Getting a chicken or two is easier than you might think. Build/buy them a little space and pen (say, your old dog house) get some feed, and you will have healthy, FREE, eggs for the lifetime of the chicken. You can take your chicken to your local butcher if you choose to eat meat, and buy some replacement chicks (or have your hens' eggs fertilized by your rooster or one loaned by a local farmer.) One of my friends recently told me that her local farmers market has a vendor selling a coop and a hen together, so you can just take it home and get farming!

Raising your own eggs is a great way to learn about, and likely find a new deep respect for, what goes into creating the food we eat. Such an education would also create healthy, well-rounded children who have an actual understanding of the food chain and can make their dietary choices accordingly.

The best part? You don't need to have acres of land to have chickens! Many websites, most notably Back Yard Chickens, provide information for urban chicken raising!

The most important thing for this gift is communication and education. Be sure that your giftee is in a position to successfully undertake the project and eager to raise their own eggs. Go chat up the employees at your local farm supply store or call one near you for tips.

Raising chickens is the next step, and hottest trend, for the darkest green of us.

GIFT GUIDE: 6th Day-- Heifer International

2009-12-12T18:08:00.000-08:00

Heifer International is an awesome organization that use agriculture/livestock as the seed of global change.

You can donate a water buffalo to a Filipino family, who will then use it to plan more rice, haul goods to market for sale, and rent to neighbors for their own work. Or you can donate some honeybees, who will be a source of income through the sale of beeswax, honey, and pollen.

Don't have the funds to buy a huge animal? There is also the option to buy a "share" in a larger animal. That way, you will still work to donate a heifer (because you want a family to have the benefits associated with one) but will not need to foot the entire bill yourself!) You can also make a donation where is it most needed. Another part about Heifer International that I love is that they have a great woman-focused initiative. A donation to the initiative is a great gift to give your niece or goddaughter. As women, its important to help other women, as they make up the vast majority of people living in poverty.

This gift is great for your economics-loving friend. The founding principles of Heifer International are to give people around the world the tools they need to sustain their families' health and create a source of income to allow them to work their way out of poverty with pride and dignity. A gift of a sustainable income source, such as a llama to be used for fleece and fertilization, affects not only the family given one, but the entire community.

Giving a friend the gift of helping a family to make a living is truly priceless.

GIFT GUIDE: 5th Day-- Donation to local SPCA or county animal shelter

2009-12-11T17:46:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite gifts to give people is a photo of me holding a big bag of dog food.

While this might not seem like a gift you would like to receive, what it symbolizes makes a difference to the furry friends living at your (or your giftee's) local animal shelter.

Animal shelters are ALWAYS in need of food, money, and time. This means that there are endless ways to give back and make a difference.

Grab a huge bag of dog food and donate it in honor of your babysitter or postman. Make a monetary donation to the SPCA in honor of your child's piano teacher that you know loves her kitties.

Don't forget breed-particular rescue organizations, either! Know someone who loves their Labrador? Make a donation to a lab rescue. Know someone who can't stop cuddling with their snuggly pit bull puppy (me!)? Make a donation to a hard working pit bull rehabilitation group in their name.

In my experience, this is the best gift to give someone who has it all and adores animals. It will touch their hearts infinitely and go a long way to serve a group of living beings so often neglected, abused, and unloved.

Many shelters often have the option of purchasing a brick in honor or memory of both people and pets. Our neighbors did that when our dog passed after 15 happy years. Inquire about an option if you know your gift recipient is mourning a recent pet loss.

Low on cash? Get signed up as volunteers, and go into the local shelter and volunteer for a day in someone's honor. Take a quick photo of yourselves washing those dirty dogs, print it out, and include it in a card explaining what you did for the giftee. Remember, the thought that went into it will blow your giftee away. And as with the other gifts, teach your little ones that volunteering in a thoughtful way can make people even happier than material goods.

Change the world one little kitten at a time!

(P.S. Photo above is of the newest addition to our family, Pit Bull/German Shepherd mix Theo. We love him just TONS.)

GIFT GUIDE: 4th Day-- Membership in local CSA

2009-12-10T17:21:00.000-08:00

One way to make a big difference in your local community is to purchase your food from local farmers.

Sometimes it's difficult to track down local food, though! Where are the best farmers' markets? What stores sell local food? One of my favorite sites, Local Harvest, takes all the sleuth work out of it! Just type in your location, and find farmers' markets, Community Supported Agriculture ("CSA") groups, food co-ops, U-Picks, and more! It's really amazing.

So, a great gift for a friend or entire family could be a share in a CSA! Find one near your giftee on Local Harvest, and give them a call! You will be supporting your local farmers and community as a whole. You pick the quantity of food to be picked up at a central location at your choice of time, and they get it. (For a price point reference, our CSA, which feeds 8 people, is $350/year. For a single person, you can find great plans starting from $50-80.)

What a great gift for anyone that likes to eat and loves their community!

GIFT GUIDE: 3rd Day-- TerraPass Car Offsets

2009-12-09T22:04:00.000-08:00

This is admittedly a gift for at least a light green friend.

Everyone is trying to be eco-friendly in some fashion. Some are very light green and others are a deep, intense shades of mistletoe-esque green.

In these economic times, all shades of green as thinking "Well, I should probably do something to offset my carbon emissions, what with COP-15 going on in Copenhagen, etc. Wait, $75?! Ughhhh, I'll think about it."

So why not offset for them? Like a carbon offset angel!

TerraPass is a well-respected, highly accredited group that offers a year's worth of offsets for an average car, air travel, an individual, and a family of four.

We at barley&birch like TerraPass because they back up their claims. Their reductions are confirmed by a third party. Annually, they are audited to confirm that their final reductions reports are accurate. Essentially, you get what you see and what you pay for.

We LOVE businesses like that. (:

Do you love your light green friends? You should offset their emissions this year!

Love,
Kyle

GIFT GUIDE: 2nd Day-- Oxfam Unwrapped

2009-12-08T21:38:00.000-08:00

I love Oxfam.

When I was in El Salvador, I worked alongside an Oxfam staffer for 2 weeks. 4 years later, the same volunteer is still there. She lives on nothing and works tirelessly-- and I really mean tirelessly-- for justice for the people in rural areas of El Salvador. She inspires me infinitely despite possibly not even remembering that I exist.

Regardless, seeing the impact that one limb of Oxfam can do in the seemingly most hopeless of situations, made a permanent impact on me and barley & birch donates to them often.

They have a neat way of helping, however, that lets you choose the area to which your money goes. It is called Oxfam Unwrapped and makes the most perfect gift.

Oxfam Unwrapped is my most gifted gift of all time. Ever. All occasions. Why? It's not just an honorary donation, it shows deeper thought.

You can give your nephew school books. You could give your sister a school lunch for a child for a year . Or give your mother-in-law a stove. Give your husband manure. And your brother a cow. I mean, really, when you look, can't you think of the perfect person for each gift?

The possibilities are truly endless and I assure you that this will warm the heart of the recipient, everyone in the room, and, of course, the beneficiaries all over the world.

Giving Oxfam Unwrapped is a great way of showing your children that you don't need to give the newest, trendiest gifts to make others happy in a very thoughtful way.

Change the world with your holiday gifts.

Love,
Kyle

GIFT GUIDE: 1st Day-- Miriam's Kitchen

2009-12-07T09:18:00.000-08:00

Well, if you know me at all, you know that I love Miriam's Kitchen. I volunteered there while I was doing my internship in D.C.

Needless to say I was instantly inspired.

What is so cool about them? They feed and support D.C.'s homeless.

Oh, and not only do they just feed their guests, they feed them DELICIOUS food that they put a lot of time and energy into, because every single staffer and volunteer believes that their guests deserve that respect and dignity. They provide case management services including mental health, medical and substance abuse services and assistance finding housing and employment.

Every single person there goes above and beyond to help the people that many overlook.

So for a gift this Christmas, we think it'd be really cool if you would support Miriam's. And the awesome thing is that you can SEE where your donations go.

With a $25 donation, you will provide the food for a healthy, homemade breakfast for 15 homeless men and women. A typical menu includes scrambled eggs with salmon, fresh sauteed vegetables, fruit salad and made-from-scratch biscuits.

With a $50 donation, you will provide transportation to doctor appointments and job interviews to 40 homeless men and women.

With a $100 donation, you will provide art supplies for our After-Breakfast Program's Art Therapy class. New paintbrushes, watercolors and canvases will provide our guests with even more resources to express their creativity.

With a $500 donation, you will provide one day of case management services to 80 of our guests.

Wouldn't a gift of art supplies for Miriam's guests be the best holiday gift to give your neighbors? Wouldn't it be neat to fund an entire Miriam's breakfast as your office gift? Or provide case management services in honor of your child's teacher? I think so.

OR

You could make it a project for the kids, boxing up extra blankets and Daddy's jeans he never wears. To top it off you could swing by the store and get a few pairs of socks. For $15 you can make in immense difference in the lives of others while teaching your children what it means to give back to the global community.

Think about it. (:

Love,
Kyle

Our Holiday Gift Guide- introduction

2009-12-07T08:57:00.000-08:00

We are majorly loving the gift guides flowing about out there. They have the cutest stuff and tons are showcasing the adorably chic side of eco gifts. I've learned a ton from the gift guides I've already seen.

But I wanted to put together barley & birch's own guide. One that, like our products, can be your purely good and globe-friendly option!

One post will follow daily for, you guessed it, 12 days! I hope you love it. (: Love, Kyle

(yes, that is me in the photo with my best friend Michelle who is dressed normally.)

2 truths & a lie: Amber from RockerByeBaby

2009-12-01T21:14:00.000-08:00

Who: Amber

What: Owner of RockerByeBaby, a super cool rocker-y line of kids clothing, blogger extraordinaire.

Why we are obsessed: Amber is awesome. She is so fun to work with. We love them so much that we designed a graphic and tee for them! Amber is so REAL. Her emails are hilarious 100% of the time. We, oh and several celebs, are obviously drawn to her designs and take on kidswear. It doesn't always have to be trucks and ponies. Some kids were just born to be COOL. (barley & birch obviously can't pull off cool like RockerByeBaby can, but we are okay just settling with our neato Cactus.) We look forward to Tweeting with Amber every day. (:

But Amber is going to LIE to you all.

She says:
"I just got married back in July and all weekend have been working on
photo albums... dvd's and all that Jazz... so while Im still riding
the wedding high, i think ill quiz you on that :) We had pretty much
the most perfectly punk rock chic wedding ever... Kyle Knows, i made
her look at all the photos :) I'm even tagging along two photos just to
really throw you for a loop :)"

1. Our entire wedding party wore Converse shoes, including me.
2. My girls wore stripper dresses.
3. My wedding dress was under $150.

**WHICH IS THE LIE?? Submit guesses below.**

P.S. For the record, her wedding pictures are amazing cool. See evidence above.

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2009-11-25T16:02:00.000-08:00

Wow, this awesome photography definitely merits the first two-photo "Wear it!" Wednesday post yet.

That's understandable, I suppose, as this little cutie, whose name is Maddie, has one skilled mother! Maddie's mom is Beki of Beki Dawn Photography. We love reading her blog too just to stare at her pretty photos!

Maddie loves watching movies while eating popcorn and loves going to the park. She also loves to read and sing songs. Maddie also has our favorite little girl trait ever, a love of twirling!

Beki reports that Maddie's favorite food is "of course anything candy or sugar, but when she is eating what she's supposed to...she loves apples, waffles, and hot dogs!"

Well one look at these photos and its easy to see that Maddie is a total sweetie!

Beki, too, is pretty awesome and actually paid us one of the best compliments ever without even knowing it. She told us, "I love hugging Maddie when she has her barley & birch shirt on because it is so soft and snuggly!" That is music to our ears! (:

Thanks to Beki and Maddie for the photos!

2 truths & a lie: Summer from fawn & forest

2009-11-24T08:59:00.000-08:00

Who: Summer

What: Beautiful owner of fawn&forest, the insanely gorgeous mecca of children's gear and clothing. Supermom of 2 cutie boys.

Why are are obsessed: First of all, we at b&b are instantly smitten by impeccable taste and design, so obviously we had a business crush on Summer and fawn&forest from day 1. THEN I got to meet the cool crew she has over at fawn&forest and exchange some (like 200) e-mails with her at all hours of the morning. It was love at first "Reply" for me.

Since then, she has taken time out of her insanely busy days to respond to me please for advice and suggestions, always offered words of encouragement for what we are doing, and inspired us daily with her neat finds and ideas on Twitter.

We are stoked to know her.

Now she is going to lie to you.

Summer reports:

1. She skipped the 11th grade.
2. She was one of Inc. Magazine's Top 30 Under 30.
3. She wants to legally change her middle name.

WHICH IS THE LIE?? Submit guesses below.

Alma Mater Love

2009-11-22T14:45:00.000-08:00

This past week I have been really overcome with love of my alma mater-- DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.

I've given 6 interviews this week. Most of them asked "What gave you this sense of global responsibility?" I thought about it and gave the same response "My parents and my university, who both pushed me to get our and see the world and how others lived."

But then, on Wednesday night, as I was leaving my late class in lonely downtown San Francisco (I still haven't made many friends at my new school yet,) I saw something that warmed my heart more than I expected it to. I saw my friend, a homeless man, in his usual stoop, huddled with his stuff, wearing a DePauw hoodie. (The classic one, black with bold gold fabric letters.) A DePauw grad, whoever he or she might be, had likely donated their sweatshirt somewhere, and it was now keeping my friend warm.

It hit me very hard, and tears welled up in my eyes. Amidst a city of strangers, I all of the sudden felt a sense of being home.

DePauw University is pretty cool like that.

DePauw shipped me off to Central America, and had me live in poverty with the families that have eventually become my own. It put me face to face with community members as we worked to build a town hall. It humbled me when both my tortilla and cement making ability was the mockery of an entire village. It taught me that just a few people can truly change the world.

DePauw showed me that you can do totally different things, like say, law and fashion, and make it work. (I was a philosophy and geology major, with Spanish and Chemistry minors.) DePauw showed me that there will always be adults that are hating, and trying to break you down for whatever reason. (Like Scott Wilkerson and Fred Soster.) But DePauw taught me that for every naysayer, there will be an inspiration, someone pushing you even farther, who never stops believing in your ideas and mission. (I will be forever indebted to you, Dr. Jeanne Pope and Dr. Jeff McCall/Chris Newton and Hazel/Pigg families.) So, I suppose what I am trying to say is that DePauw taught me about the real world. I face the same challenges now as I did then. I hear and sense the same haters, and I overcome the same obstacles in the same way-- a smile, a brain, and a little perseverance.

So here I am now, using what I learned in my two majors and two minors (and many extracurriculars) there and the social charm polished up at the Indiana Epsilon Chapter of Pi Beta Phi there and combining them to give back to communities that gave so much to me and a growing number of communities that could use a little boost.

In my recent successes, I have been fortunate enough to have received some press for my mission, my cause.

Who are the first people to reach out of nowhere and give me a few hearty pats on the back? DePauw graduates, of all decades. I have consistently received e-mails from my old professors and graduates I have never met saying, "Great work. You make us proud. Keep going." Its so awesome.

So, this is just a thank you note to DePauw, for making me much of what I am today. Thank you.

Love,
Kyle

(Photos from my trip to Belize, where I asked my parents for the best birthday gift yet: paint for a cistern for the school we lived at that was saving and saving for paint for it.)

(GIVEAWAY) & Guest Blogging-- 2 truths and a lie.

2009-11-18T20:11:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

We are making big fun changes here at barley & birch. New website in the works that will blow your minds, we're transitioning into our cool spring collection (see photo above) and we're designing Fall 2010.

One thing I have been wanting to do is to have guest bloggers on here as we begin to develop the blog more. But, like, we are sort of not-for-serious with our blogging and like to have fun with it, so I was having a hard time finding a theme to unite a series of serious and meaningful blog posts.

Then it hit me-- it doesn't have to be serious like the other guest posting going on! It can be fun and silly! (Then we can transition into significance.)

SO.

I am pleased to announce that our guest bloggers will be playing one of my favorite conversation starters here on barley & birch's blog: two truths and a lie.

This will give us an opportunity to showcase some of our dearest friends and their quirky lives that make us love them SO MUCH.

To kick off our game, I shall begin. Guess the lie, be entered to win a barley & birch piece of your choice!

HERE WE GO:

1. My mom sang backup with Bruce Springsteen on one of his tours before I was born.
2. I am afraid of clowns and things in costumes.
3. I have two fake teeth.

Post your guesses below! We will announce the winner, and correct answer, next week!

Love,
Kyle

P.S. E-mail me if you ever want to guest post!

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2009-11-11T19:02:00.000-08:00

Well after seeing this sweetie, we just couldn't resist posting another picture of the ADORABLE tees we did for RockerByeBaby (if we don't say so ourselves!)

Meet Violet! She is 13.5 months old. Her mom, Katie, has the super cute blog thinkPINK and was kind enough to send us this photo.

Violet's favorite foods are sweet potato fries and grilled cheese sandwiches. She also loves playing with her kitties & chasing them around the house! Violet's mother fondly notes that she "loves pressing buttons to turn things on and off and switch the channels on the TV!" Violet also loves playing with her Wonder Pets toys.

We think Violet makes our new edgy graphic look beautifully sweet and oh-so-cool. (Check out her matching shoes!)

Thanks to Katie and Violet for the photo! (:

Inc. Magazine

2009-11-04T20:15:00.000-08:00

They wrote an article about us! Its really nice and we are honored to be featured alongside such inspiring and talented people! Wow.

Check out the article here.

Love,
Kyle

P.S. At the time this was published I was winning in votes! Wow!

Positive feedback ALWAYS welcome.

2009-10-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

We get a lot of sweet e-mails from people all over the world thanking us for our standards and the stand we take on where the apparel industry should be with regards to protecting the environment and the people that create our clothing.

These emails make it all worth it.

This morning I woke up to a really lovely e-mail. We love sending pieces to people to review. But when someone writes about what we DO, independent of a giveaway or product review, it really touches me.

Paula, from Green Colored Glasses wrote this review about our brand. She closed her e-mail by saying:

"As a mom and a human being, thanks from the bottom of my heart for all that you're doing for the planet and the people in it! Keep up the great work!!"

So neat.

To everyone that's written then, THANK YOU, you inspire me personally every single day. You make me excited to stay up all night getting back with people and never leaving anything for the next day, you make me excited to keep working on our new website and new collection. You all make me want to do even more to save the world.

Thank you.

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2009-10-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

This week's post is VERY special and, well, EXCLUSIVE!

We created custom pieces and graphic for the insanely popular and famous (celeb fans include Angie Everhardt and Tori Spelling!) RockerByeBaby. Check out their blankets and shirts, as they are our edgy idols. (:

We made laptees and tees for them that are selling like wildfire! Get yours here. (And if you mention this blog post, we will send you a free b&b tank, too!)

So meet Gregory, the cutie son of Brooke of Brooke Van Gory fame. She makes AWESOME baby products-- everyone's favorite are the gorgeous upcycled pants!

Definitely be sure to check out our pieces for RBB, all RBB's awesome stock, and all of the wonderful Brooke Van Gory's pieces!

Thanks to Brooke, Gregory, and Amber for the photo!

Exhausted, boarding flight to Cali.

2009-10-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

Well, after a whirlwind trip back to my awesome hometown of Defiance, Ohio, I am headed back to the Bay Area. I can't say I am too thrilled, but trying to get there.

Ohio just really is the best state ever. For real.

My trip was packed with speaking to a Middle School about "a healthy vision for the future" (my topic was the affect the apparel industry has on the environment), school work, seeing my best friend's new baby, and catching up with my friends and family that I love so so much.

I am so tired and can't wait to zonk out on my flight.

(Photo courtesy of the wildly talented Monika Elena.)

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2009-10-21T08:37:00.000-07:00

Wondering who the little darling wearing the Panda Tank is? Well, meet Savannah!

Savannah is the daughter of Anne, whose popular blog, Mommy Has to Work, recently reviewed barley & birch (with a giveaway!)

Savannah is 21 months and is at the age where she is wanting to be independent and do things herself. Her mom reports that she loves 'ellies" (elephants) and lions and her favorite foods is either spaghetti or pretzels. Anne also notes that "she love her big brother something fierce!" We can tell! How adorable is their picture?!

Thanks to Anne and Savannah for the photos! (:

Up late.

2009-10-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

I'm up late working on our wholesale store (where our retailers can get on at any hour and conveniently order stock for their stores) and can't stop thinking about this beautiful dress. Don't you just love it?

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2009-10-16T14:24:00.001-07:00

Oh no. We are back to posting these on Friday. A sign of how much we have going on over here, I suppose? Stay tuned for more frequent blog posts about all sorts of fun things!

But without further ado let me introduce this super-cutie wearing his Fishies Tee! Meet Jackson. Jackson is the son of Melissa, who has the well-known blog Now What Baby? Melissa was kind enough to include our pieces in her awesome Fall Style Guide, and don't miss her review here (with giveaway!)

Darling Jackson's favorite animal is a stuffed lemur and he has to have with him everywhere. His mom reports that he loves to eat pizza and can out eat most of the family! Jackson is also very into golf - most of the time you can find him carrying his plastic club around the house and knocking golf balls into everything. His mom sums it up best-- "He is a very happy little guy and you rarely see him without a smile on his face." We can tell! We think Jackson is a total doll and are thrilled to have him sport some barley & birch.

Thanks to Melissa and Jackson for the photos!

"Ride it!" Wednesday

2009-10-07T19:46:00.000-07:00

I bought a bike.

This bike is NOT your average bike.

This bike is old (read: NOT new and creating more waste and emissions.) This bike is cool (obviously.) This bike gave kids in my community something to do with their afternoon, a job, skills, a paycheck, and a chance to earn their own bike (Whoa.)

See, I told you this bike was different!

I purchased my bike, which came with the name "WIND" on it, so I refer to is as "The Wind", from Cycles of Change APC Bike Shop.

Their website says it best: "APC is a supportive housing community, providing housing, services and community programs to support residents and families so that they need never know the struggles of homelessness again. APC pairs each resident with a case worker who provides access to health services, mental health and substance counseling, family programs and job training. APC also operates a bike shop, commercial plant nursery and brand new urban farm. Proceeds from these enterprises help support homeless services at APC."

I went, chatted with some of the kids and their very tall, funny, leader Evan, picked a bike, and eagerly awaited the day when I could pick it up. (It needed some TLC.)

I picked it up last Thursday and it rides like a dream. See evidence below.

The Cycles of Change APC bike shop is inspiring! They mix the purest form of sustainability (upcycling car alternatives!) with social relevance and awareness.

Just think, what if all of our needs could be fulfilled by a business with a similar model? Wouldn't it be cool if we could be as passionate about our shoes, pots & pans, and clothing as I am about my bike? I think so.

Thanks to the good people at Cycles of Change APC Bike Shop for my bike and giving me a much needed boost of inspiration to keep trying to change the world!

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2009-09-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

This weeks "Wear it!" Wednesday post is yet again pretty near and dear to barley & birch's heart.

Meeting the darling Pixie. (:

Pixie is the daughter of Sara, who writes the blog I read most often, tout-est-des-roses. Pixie also has three adorable old brothers named Sam, Mac and Bean. I love reading Sara's blog about her incredible family and lovely way of mothering her wonderful kids. Her blog is a great place to go for inspiration about how to make every day beautiful and fun for everyone! Her energy is so contagious!

As I think I've mentioned before, I kind of want to be one of her kids, as well!

Sara is currently at the Type A Mom conference equipped with TONS of swag, including many b&b tanks, to give to the lucky mommas of her choosing. If you are there, be sure to track her down!

Thanks to my BFF and Pixie for the photos!

"Wear it!" Wednesday-- special edition!

2009-09-10T08:08:00.000-07:00

Okay so POP QUIZ whats the coolest part of this really cool photo?

A. The look on my face
B. My slept on hair
C. My classic Ray Bans
D. My 7 year old Citizens
E. My ratty UGGs that I can't get rid of
F. MY FCearth T-shirt
G. The Guy's Volvo wagon

Yep-- you guessed it! F! My FCearth T-shirt!!

So FCearth is a super neat new company owned by my friend Jeff. Jeff is one of the coolest guys ever and also happens to be from the Toledo, OH area. (Like me!!)

FCearth's point is quite similar to b&b's-- you can change the world in everything you do. FCearth has cool tees (like the one I am rocking) now and is working on a line of eco-friendly soccer gear. They then use a part of their proceeds to give soccer balls and instructional DVDs to urban elementary schools all over the US. Um COOL. Soccer is an international language (or so I've been told by The Guy) and the fact that FCearth is sharing it domestically with kids that might not otherwise be exposed is amazing, heartwarming, and relevant.

We are stoked to hear more about what FCearth is doing as they grow and grow. We'll keep you all posted.

Go check them out, get some tees, and get involved!

XO
Kyle

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2009-09-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

So we aren't sure if it's the Bluefeet Tee, the sunny beach, or the darling little smile that make this photo one of our favorites. Hm, probably the darling little smile!

This little cutie goes by "Ladybug." Her mom Jennifer owns Born 2 Impress, a cute line of accessories and apparel for kids. Jennifer also has a great blog and recently featured barley & birch!

Jennifer reports that Ladybugs favorite foods are salads and is speaking a mixture of English and Spanish! Ladybug loves to climb and anything involving water-- at 27 months old almost knows how to swim already! Wow!

Thanks to Jennifer and Ladybug for the photos!

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2009-08-27T12:01:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the week again! Yep-- Thursday, the day I get around to posting our "Wear it!" Wednesday post.

Meet mega-cutie Amelie Jo! Amelie Jo is the daughter of Anna, who owns our newest online retailer Amelie Jo American Baby Boutique! Anna also recently blogged about our line! (:

Amelie's favorite animal is the family dog Hektor, who is a BEAUTIFUL German Shepherd. Her favorite food is organic blueberries and yogurt and she enjoys toddling around the coffee table. Her mother also reports that the darling Amelie Jo enjoying headbanging to Iron Maiden to her father's delight!

We think she sounds like a pretty rad young lady already!

Thanks to Anna & Amelie for the photos!

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2009-08-21T14:26:00.000-07:00

Wow-- we are so very much delayed posting this as I (Kyle) am in the middle of a move to San Francisco! YIKES!

So I am happy to introduce the adorable Chase!

Chase's mom Michelle was kind enough to send us this adorable pic of Chase enjoying his Palms Tank. As natives of Florida, Chase & family were particularly fond of the Palms design!

Michelle reports that Chase loves todance and is a huge fan of Elmo and Yo Gabba Gabba!

We think he's totally stylin'!

Thanks to Michelle and Chase for the photos! (:

You Know You Want to Help!!!

2009-08-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble filling their quota of getting free food donated daily to abused and neglected animals. All it takes for you to help is to go to their website and click on the purple box that reads "Click here to give." It doesn't cost you anything more that a few seconds of your time as funding for food and care is paid by site sponsors and distributed to animals in need at the Fund for Animals' renowned animal sanctuaries, pet shelters supported by the Petfinder Foundation, North Shore Animal League, and other worthy animal care facilities supported by the Greatergood.org foundation.

Each click donates .6 bowls of food. Click! Click a lot!!

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clicktogive/home.faces

Tell everyone you know!!!

PS. That's Gus, Jodie's puppy. Who is way bigger than that now.

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2009-08-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

That's right, Bubble is over and we are back to blogging on Wednesdays! In fact, get ready for multiple posts this week. Whoa, right?

This week's "Wear it!" Wednesday is all about little miss Ja'Naya here. This cutie is 4 years old and the daughter of Jennae, of Green Your Decor fame. Jennae recently created another incredible blog, Green & Gorgeous, which launched on Monday! Definitely swing by to check it out. If Green Your Decor is any indicator, we are certain its going to be a daily must-read.

We at barley & birch were of course thrilled to read Jennae's super sweet review of our Octi Tank posted today.

But, lets get back to Ja'Naya, shall we?

Ja'Naya's favorite colors are red and pink, and her favorite foods are spaghetti and friend plantains. Her favorite animals are Beluga whales (ever since seeing them at the Georgia Aquarium.) Now, I, too count Beluga whales among my favorite animals and manage to burst out into the Raffi song at any given moment from day to day.

Her mother also reports that Ja'Naya enjoys playing games on Webkinz and PBSkids, noting that she is surprisingly computer savvy for only being 4. Hmm, we wonder where she got that savviness from...

All we know is that this cutie has officially made the Octi tank look totally, well, Green & Gorgeous!

Thanks to Jennae and Ja'Naya for the picture!

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2009-07-23T18:33:00.000-07:00

Wow-- we LOVE siblings wearing our clothes. We've really lucked out lately!

For this weeks post, meet the beautiful Jaylin and Jeffery, sporting their barley & birch Bluefeet and Monkey Tees. These two are the beautiful babes of Jackie whose blog Monkey Mayhem just reviewed barley & birch here!

Mom Jackie reports that Jeffery loves the movie Cars and loves to play with trains, cars, airplanes...anything that moves!

Jaylin loves animals, her favorite of which being horses. And she likes princesses, of course! Fun fact about Jaylin-- her hair is naturally curly but neither her mom or her dad have curly hair!

Both of them love to watch Spongebob and riding their bike/tricicle.

We think: they sound like perfect little kids. (:

We love Jaylin's "Mom, get that camera out of my face please" look and Jeffery's willingness to soak up the attention.

Thanks to Jackie for sending over the pics!

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2009-07-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

This week's "Wear it!" Wednesday is near and dear to my heart-- as this photo was so kindly sent by my great friend, Sarah. Well, she is more like the sister I never had. Sarah and I grew up a house down from one another and our parents have been close for years. We fondly recall family camping trips (riding fold up bikes that would fold up while you were riding them if my mother happened to be the one that set it up) and Mini Golf outings (where you never knew how her mother always managed to get "2" strokes on the hole she spent 20 minutes on.) And I probably shouldnt mention the perfectly choreographed dances to various Dixie Chicks songs. In the car. Or dancing around it stopped at a red light. To the humiliation of her brother siting/hiding in the back.

ANYWAY, these CUTIES are her cousins. Meet Nicholas (2), Jackson (6 months), and Luke (4) of beautiful Ankeny, Iowa. Their mother, Jann, notes that the boys enjoy counting the animals on each others barley & birch shirts! The boys love playing outside and look forward to getting plenty of use out of their barley & birch tees during their annual trip to the family's lakehouse in Wisconsin this August. Looking at the picture, we certainly don't doubt that.

Well, we are convinced that you couldn't pack much more cuteness into a single photograph if you tried. (:

Thanks to Sis and Jann for sharing this adorable photo!

P.S. If I get enough comments or messages, I would be willing to post some hilarious chilhood photos of Sis and I. And her 4 siblings.

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2009-07-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

This week we would like to introduce you to the infinitely happy Elijah! Elijah is the son of Autum, who, on top of raising 3 little boys, manages to keep up two blogs: Monsters in My House and Three Boys and Mom-- both of which we at barley & birch love. (Check out her review of barley & birch here!)

Elijah is an active 14-month old who is always on the go-- he particularly loves dancing and being outside. His favorite book at the moment is Eric Carle's "I can do that, can you?" and his mom mentions that "he's always flipping the pages and giggling at it by himself if he's not crawling into our laps with it." Wow, did anyone else's heart just melt? What a sweet boy! We are proud that he is outfitted in our threads, thats for sure.

Thanks to Autum and Elijah for the photos and barley & birch love. (:

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2009-07-02T05:19:00.000-07:00

(Hm, back to Thursday, BUT better late than never.)

This weeks "Wear it!" Wednesday features Zavery, the mischievous-but-sweet-as-sugar-looking tot of Amber, owner of RockerByeBaby, which makes and sells adorable kids clothes & blankets for the rockstar in every kid. Amber also blogs and does some incredible giveaways there! Barley & birch was lucky to get one of the sweetest, most touching reviews we have ever received from her site. We can't get enough of mega-cool people taking steps toward a super eco-friendly life, thus making it look even cooler! You can only take so many hemp-wearing, vegan, barefooted hippies... oh, wait...

Anyway, Zavery's clever slogan is also probably the cutest thing that we have ever seen. Other than his little smirk that is...

And yes, staying true to the barley & birch mission, Zavery is definitely rocking a cloth diaper! We think: BEST OUTFIT EVER.

Thanks to Amber and Zavery for being, well, total rockstars.

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2009-06-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

Okay! Back to posting on Wednesdays!

This weeks "Wear it!" Wednesday post features the super-cute Michael! Michael is the son of Jen E. one of the wonderful moms writing for Mommas Review. (See their review of barley & birch here. Yay!)

But I mean, seriously, one look at Michael in that Cactus Tee and you immediately see that he might be one of the funnest kids ever. Am I right?

Michael loves anything that involves running, jumping, and climbing. So it's no wonder that his favorite animal is a monkey!

Thanks to Michael and momma Jen for sharing the pics! (:

An epiphany.

2009-06-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

I had a major moment of utter gratitude yesterday. If you're reading this post, this is likely about you.

I never stop working. I work hard for barley & birch, so the line can continue to grow fast and keep changing the world. I work hard as a law student. And I work hard to keep my two lives separate and give both of them 100% of me.

It gets hard, I don't sleep, and I get crabby sometimes.

Yesterday was destined to be a crabby day. I have been averaging 4 hours of sleep a week this week because I am up late working with our new retailers in Japan and wake up early to rub elbows with Senators, cabinet members, and First Ladies.

I woke up yesterday at 5am to bake a pie for a contest at Miriam's Kitchen. I scowled nearly the entire time. I was too tired to shower, so I pinned some braids back and figured I could pass for Boho Chic. (fail.)

I lugged the pie in on a crowded commute and was late to work. Worked frantically all day, taking breaks to deal with barley & birch work. Was crabby about figuring out dress designs, where to get our lookbook printed, and our depleting inventory which we are not going to replace since we are releasing a new collection soon.

Stressed, I sent my soul mate best friend and best employee ever, Alia, a text that said "I need you to come to Bubble NY with me." She of course had already been planning on this and also said "I am lining up things for you while you are there." Crabby, I said, "Plz don't. I won't have time." To which she responded, "Oh, well, I think you have time for the Today Show." So I took a moment, paused, and wondered. I knew she would follow up with more details so I continued working like a maniac.

After work I headed to Miriam's on both phones the whole time-- invoicing on my iPhone while getting lookbook quotes on my personal cell. Hung up both as I walked into Miriam's to submit my pie and take part in the BBQ. People called and texted throughout the BBQ and I would duck away and respond and was grumpy again because I am always responding and always getting back with people and couldn't I even enjoy this vegan bratwurst please?

While there, I spoke with Jenn, Miriam's development and outreach guru. She mentioned that in response to some of my tweets on Twitter and a quick e-mail I had sent to Green America, a business group of which I am a part, they had received boxes of donations. Her appreciation touched me, but my brain was still crabby. Frazzled with all the things I had to do. We spoke about how I respect her nonstop dedication to changing lives and the fact that she fights what looks to be an endless fight. Me? I get to play with kids clothing and donate money and time and sort of feel like I help. But her and the crew and Miriam's-- they are the heroes.

My pie, pictured above, got 2nd place! (It looks a lot more burnt and ratty in the picture, I swear. It was made from scratch. E-mail for recipe.)

Head throbbing, I gathered my empty-but-still-gooey pie dish and left. I remembered that I had planned on speaking with Julie about her crew doing some work for us. Great work, Kyle. She had called and I had not answered. I call her back and we talk as I mosey around a park carrying a dirty pie dish. We talk about ideas for dresses, shorts, fabric, and dyes.

We hang up and I walk down to get on Metro and head home. Its 9pm. I have 18 unread e-mails from the last 40 minutes and I decide, for the first time ever, to not read them while on the way home. Best decision ever.

As I sat on Metro, I was overwhelmed with this sense of pure exhaustion. I was too tired to pull my bag strap up when it fell from my shoulder, I desperately needed a shower, and my hand was covered in pie remnants. Then, my mind went blank. And I almost started to cry. I had had a beautiful day and had been too busy being stressed to even notice it. When did I even become like this?

Yesterday was a great day! I woke up early and baked a pie from scratch (with cherries picked and canned by my family). I was chosen to do an IRL section for Hayden Hartnett and was told I might be on the Today Show in August. I got 2nd place in a pie contest! People I see as heroes told me that they are blown away with all I am doing to help them. And I am now working with an amazing woman who is changing lives and believes in our mission. The texts I received had come from our designer Jodie while she was at the zoo, sending pictures of animals I could tell she wanted to draw. It reminded me what an amazing thing it is that Jodie is one of my closest friends now. I received a call from my BFF from law school, confirming how the love-of-my-life makes his beans for tacos. I love that we are still close enough to call for things like that. I also received calls and texts from the love-of-my-life and family, reminding me I would not even be close to where I am now without each of them.

Some e-mails came from our newest retailer, Sprout San Fransisco, saying "You sent us different quantities than you listed on the packing slip..." (humiliating.) "...but it's okay. Its so much cuter in person! Please update the invoice to reflect the million mistakes you all made but don't worry about correcting the order." Okay maybe not the million mistakes part-- but how cool are they? I read an e-mail from our new photographer who is doing the photoshoot for our new line with not much time to prepare and fell in love with her energy all over again. I read e-mails from our new retailer in Japan, bcbasics, who has already placed a re-order! Wow! How neat!

I read a hilarious e-mail from Summer, owner of fawn&forest. She has one of the coolest stores and still finds the time to say "Great job on having hardly anything in stock! It shows a great response to your line!" as opposed to blocking my e-mails and removing the line from her site for constantly being sold out of more and more styles.

I received an e-mail from Bridget, who owns Wiggle Room, with a picture of her newest baby boy and it reminded me to e-mail her info for the model search we are going to do through her store. Her unending support means more to me than I can express.

In the other e-mails and tweets, I was reminded that I share beautifully friendly and casual and respectful relationships with hundreds of mom-bloggers (incredible women, I tell you), many retailers (even those that don't carry the line), our marketing company, and every other single person we work with.

I officially have no business relationships-- I have barley & birch-induced friendships. Isn't that amazing? I at one point had to ask a friend if it would be weird to invited them all to my wedding. Answer: yes. But I still might anyway...

So my new friends, thank you all for being so wonderful. You have no idea how much I look forward to speaking, e-mailing, texting, and okay, even tweeting with you every day. I truly adore you.

Love,
Kyle

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2009-06-18T06:18:00.000-07:00

Hm, at our rate maybe we should just start calling this 'Wear it!' Thursday.

But, alas, this weeks 'Wear it!' Wednesday continues our streak of showing off the most beautiful kids in the UK. I mean seriously what is in the water over there?

Please meet Lily (in the Fishies Tee) and Ruby (in the Panda Tee). They are the gorgeous daughters of Abby, who owns the very cool Juicy Tots, an online kids boutique.

Its amazing how different children can transform the look of our clothing. And its also amazing how much we melt whenever we see kids in barley & birch!

Big thanks to Ruby, Lily, & Abby for modeling/snapping some pics for us!

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2009-06-10T19:55:00.000-07:00

This weeks "Wear It!" Wednesday features Jake! Jake is the son of Tze, the fabulous owner of Monsters & Munchkins, which happens to be barley & birch's first and only UK retailer.

Isn't he cute?

What's even cuter is that Jake has a twin sister Maya, who also loves monkeys. Whenever Jake walks by her when he is wearing his Monkeys Tee, Maya makes monkey noises!

That officially melted our hearts and we have been set on recruiting Jake & Maya to be our permanent models ever since. If only their mother didn't have her own incredible clothing line, conveniently named Jakeandmaya....

Have cute kids? Like to win things? Check out this contest!

2009-06-08T06:18:00.000-07:00

We love to read cool blogs. We especially love to read blogs that have really cool people behind them.

Inhabitots is both! They have great reviews of great products (ignore that they haven't reviewed barley & birch yet) and have some of the sweetest (as in kind and as in super-cool) writers. Beth S. & Jennifer C. are our favorites.

Anyway, Inhabitots wants to see your eco-cute kids!! And they are offering you $50 and a free Inhabitots shirt just to show off your cute kids. And trust us, we have seen pictures, we know they are cute.

All you have to do is (1) sign up for their newsletter here and (2) leave a comment here that includes a photo of your kid doing any variety of eco-y things! (Hint: If you post pictures of your tots wearing barley & birch-- you are likely to get a little gift from us in the mail!)

So what are you waiting for? Head over to Inhabitots! http://www.inhabitots.com/2009/06/08/eco-cutey-photo-contest/

An introduction to the masterminds behind the line.

2009-06-03T15:29:00.001-07:00

I'm using the term "masterminds" loosely.

Kyle and I always find it interesting to find out things about the people behind our favorite companies/bands/etc. So we figured it was about time to let our readers know a little about us.

For starters, this is Kyle. Her answers to the questions below will be in purple.
And this is me, Jodie. My answers will be in blue.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

President of the United States of America. No, for real.

When I was a kid I used to want to grow up and be a cartoon. I still kind of do....

If you could go anywhere right now, where would you go?

I'd head to surf at Tournaline in San Diego. The surf, the people, the sun-- you really can't beat it.
Scotland! Anybody live there? Can I crash on your couch!?

Can you make a cake?

Not a chance. From a box maybe? I am, however, very good at asking my friend Brandi to make them, since she can whip up the most delicious tasting cakes from scratch. Does that count?

I love making weird cakes for people, like Hello Kitty, Sushi, and the deathstar.

What was your favorite class in school? (Any grade)

Spanish in high school. My teacher was willd and crazy and came up with fun ways for us to learn. So after having her for 4 years I graduated from high school completely fluent and able to work as a translater.

I'd have to say my Senior design thesis class in college. As much as I thought I hated it at the time because of all the pressure and crazy professors, I really enjoyed making my idea come to life, and working with my models - who were beyond great.

If you could go back in time to meet any two people in history, who would they be?

Cesar and Jesus. I have a lot of questions.
John Lennon and Leonardo DaVinci.... I might have to send some questions with Kyle though...

What is the funniest dream you've ever had?

That I was in a serious, committed, loving relationship with Cesar Millan (Dog Whisperer). And I would go with him to rehabilitate dogs. This is recurring. And we make a great team.
I had this one years ago, but it was that one of my roommates brought a friend of his home that was recently turned into a zombie, and was trying to convince the rest of us that it would be like having a puppy. He was wrong.

So that's us in a nutshell. Feel free to comment/send any other questions you want us to answer!!

"Wear it!" Wednesday

2009-06-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

Every Wednesday we are going to post photos of our happy customers sporting some seriously cool barley & birch threads.

This week, meet Sophie, William, & Roni! They were the first kids in the UK to get their hands on barley & birch pieces which makes them... trendsetters! And adorable.

The mother of these three cuties is the incredible Natalie, owner and designer at Sophie4Sophie, which makes a line of adorable dresses that can be worn from 9 months to 3 years!

Do your kids rock barley & birch? Send photos to hey@barleyandbirch.com

We have a blog! (GIVEAWAY!)

2009-06-01T15:55:00.001-07:00

We are so excited to start blogging! Stay tuned for information on how to win some barley & birch goodies by supporting our new blog...

GIVEAWAY information:
Leave a comment with your favorite barley & birch piece and why you want it! 3 winners will be chosen at random at 5PM EST! (:

(Adding us as a favorite blog on your blog gives you an extra entry! Mention it in your comment.)